Tuesday, December 22, 2009

What is Prosperity?


Deut. 30:9 "The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." The Hebrew for abundantly prosperous is one word which means "to remain over". In the Old Testament abundant prosperity is connected with having being full and still having food left over. We see this in Ruth 2.14 "And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until eshe was satisfied, and she had some left over." What a difference between our understanding of abundant prosperity and the picture of the Old Testament. We could bring this idea into the New Testament as well when Paul says, 1Tim. 6:6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

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